Atomizing disk



Sept. 1 I, 1934. A. K. DOOLITTLE ATOMIZING DISK Filed July 9, 1931 tdjv ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. '11, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

My invention relates broadly to atomizing disks or wheels and more particularly to that type of atomizing disk or wheel which is of special use in pr y dryins apparatus.

,l' The object of rayinvention is'toprovide an improved atomizhg -disk which will prevent the material from building up on the wheel and will thus continuously atomiae. with a minimum of attention. I

.19 A further object of my invention is to provide an atomizing disk which causes the atomized spray to leave the disk with a velocity component in the downward direction.

A- still further object of my invention is to pro- ;li vide an atomizing disk which causes the liquid to be. removed from the region of the feed pipe or distributor so rapidly that there is no chance for the'slurry to collect around the distributing pipe and cause frictional resistance to the rotation of the wheel.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an atomizing disk which, when used in spray drying apparatus with other similar disks located in the same tower, will overcome the 26 present difllculty dueto the atomized spray leaving the disks in a horizontal plane striking adjacent atomizing disks and thereby collecting on them and preventing their proper operation. The direction of travel of the spray after leaving my improved atomizing disk is' not only outward but also downward, thereby assuring thatthe spray will not fall on any part of the apparatus at the same height as the atomizing disk. My invention consists substantially of the con- .35 struction combination'and relative arrangement of the parts as will be more fully hereinafter set forth as shown in the accompanying drawing and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying 4o drawing forming a part of the specification in which like characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which: Fig. 1 is a top view partly in cross section and partly cut'away of one form of my apparatus; Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2- -2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on an enlarged scale on -line 33 of Fig. 1 of a portion of the spraying disk;-

Fig. 4' is a perspective view of'thelower plate of my spray disk.

Inthe form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 the atomizing disk is removably mounted on shaft 8 and held in position thereon by end nut 9. The shaft 8 is rotated at a high velocity by an electric motor or other suitable 'cated in plate 10 and are arranged relatively above the passages 11. The material to'be.

driving means which are not shown since they form no part of my invention. The atomizing disk consists of an upper portion or plate 10 and lower portion or plate 14. Passages 11 are loclose to the center of the plate. I prefer to form these passages with a larger opening at their top than at their bottom and substantially straight on one side 12, but on the other side following a curvature as shown at 13, but this is not essential to the operation of myapparatus and for atomizing some materials it may be advamtageous to form the passages 11 of a diiferent shape. The lower plate 14 has a collar or bush ing 15 which rests against the portion 10 and by which the lower plate is held in place on the shaft 8 (see Fig. 4). A number of verticalvanes 16- :extend-from this collar 15 to a point at or near the periphery of the'lower plate 14. 'lhese vanes follow. substantially'a spiral form anddor II example, I have found the spiral of Archimedes to be suitable. v

' The upper plate 10 has a portion 17 which ettends beyond the circumference of lower plate 14: Plate 10 is formed substant y flat on its 10 top but this portion 17 has a greater depth at its outer circumference than it has'at a point above the outer circumference of lower plate 14. 11 wall is thus formed on the under side of plate 10 inclined downwardly at an angle with the horizontal after it leaves the lower plate 14. This upper plate 10 may be formed as an inverted saucer with the edges turned down so as to be arranged outside of and surrounding the lower plate 14.

The inlet pipe for the material to be atomized is'shown at 18 and the .distributor which may be of any suitable form is shown at 19. and has an annular opening 20 through which the material. is forced or drops to the atomizing disk.

The material to be atomized is fed throu h :1 18"to distributing ring 19. and falls or is -f through annular opening '20 which is 10%11 ized thus enters passages 11 where it is given both a rotative and inward-motion. It then falls on lower plate 14. The material as soon as it drops on the plate 14 is given a rapid outwardly rotating motion by the rotation of the disk and the action of the vanes 16,and is thus broken up and shot off of the plate 14 beioreit has an opportunity'to build up there to any substantial extent. The vanes 16 against which the material must slide in passing of! lower. plate 14 impart an additional radial component to the velocity of the 11.

85. against which ,the'atomlzed material will impinge material. The'jmaterlal then impinges against the lower wall oi portion l'lof the upper plate 10 and is broken up more completely and given a downward velocity component. The lower wall of portion 1'1 must necessarily be so arranged that the angle it forms with the horizontal is not sulficient to allow .any material to adhere thereto against the centrifugal force.

In my drawing I have shown the lower wall of '17 to be a conical section which I find operates satisfactorily and is oi an economical. form of construction,'but it is to be understood that this wall may follow the form of a suitably curved .surface to change the path of travel of the material thereafter from that which it would follow if this wall were a conical section. Likewise, it may be advantageous for atomizing some mate rialsto place radial slots or radial vanes or circumferentiai corrugations or depressions in the wall-17.

' I claim:

1. Atomizing apparatus consisting ofv a wheel structure with an upper portion and a lower portion, passages through the upper portion to the lower portion and a plurality of curved vanes on member placed substantially radially thereon and following substantially the spiral of Archimedes.

3. Atomizing apparatus consisting of a rotating wheel with an upper portion and a lower portion of smaller diameter than the upper portion, passages in said upper portion above said lower portion, a plurality of curved vanes on said lower portion under said openings. and extending substantially radially beyond the periphery of said openings and an extended part of said upper portion forming a deflecting member outside of said lower portion and means for rotating said wheel.

ARTHUR K. DOOLI'I'ILE. 

